She lay on her bed, subconsciously bobbing her head to the music, tapping her foot, and drumming on her stomach, slowly but surely drifting to sleep as she waited.

She was waiting for him, her best friend. Well, almost best friend. There, of course, had been the awkward almost kiss after their mutual success at her auditions and his soccer game, making things a bit...well...tense.

But they had put that all behind them; or at least she had. She didn't really know what he thought or was thinking right now. But, she hoped it was about her.

Glancing out the balcony doors, she saw the thunderclouds roll in. 'Darn,' she thought sadly, there went an evening in the park with him.

Rain started falling, softly and slowly at first, but picking up speed and intensity as it crashed against the glass doors that were separating warmth and light from darkness and cold wetness.

Glancing out the window again, she saw that night was coming faster now that the rain had arrived. It was practically dark, and he was not to be seen. He was probably at home, safe and dry. Or at least, she thought, he'd better be.

As much as she wanted to be together, she wanted his safety overall. Just because she cared.

He stepped out of his house, and immediately felt his hair and shirt go damp. Rain was falling steadily all around him.

He briefly considered going back inside and drying off, but saw her in his mind, and with a casual “Whatever,” set off for her house.

The long walk was mildly unpleasant, due to the pounding of the rain, but, he thought, it was worth it for her.

And no, they weren't dating, he grimaced a bit unhappily. Just best friends who did everything together.

He turned the corner, and as he did so, the rain increased.

Laughing, he looked up at the sky. “Is that all you've got?” He yelled, and a huge burst of thunder echoed around him. Almost in response, he felt.

He blinked. “Okay, I get the point. But seriously, you're not going to keep me from her, you know that right? Geez, it's dark out here...”

Lightning this time, streaking across the sky, lighting up the darkness.

“Thanks.” He called, and kept walking.

Finally, he saw her balcony lights twinkling through the rain. Running now, he tried to find the tree he always used.

Unfortunately, the tree was masked by the darkness and sheets of rain, so it took him a while.

After finally finding the usual tree, he slipped up onto the balcony, and looked in, about to knock. But something stopped him.

Something in the form of his sleeping best friend. He peered in at her, in awe of her innocence and grace that radiated off of her, even in her rest.

Rain still crashed down around him, and a bolt of lightning lit up the sky once again.

The light triggered something in her, who awoke slowly and blinking.

Thunder. Lightning. The streaks of light lit up the figure on her balcony who was watching her.

Screaming, she fell off the bed, and scrambled to her feet, pressed up against the door of her closet.

“Hey! It's me!” He yelled, but it was muffled by the door and rain.

She peered through the darkness at the sound of the distorted voice. Was it actually him? She thought, in wonder.

Approaching the door slowly, she opened it, and her best friend fell through, bringing a flood with him.

“Sorry bout your floor , but it turns out I'm not waterproof.” He murmured ruefully, grinning up at her from the puddles on the wooden floor.

She stared down at him in shock. “You came.”

“Uh...yeah.”

“You came, and it was raining.”

“Uh...yeah.”

“You could've been killed!” She shrieked, dropping to her knees, staring at him.

He glanced at her, amused. “But I wasn't.”

“But you could've been.”

“Ah, but you see, I wasn't. So problem solved.” He whispered, tracing her features with a dripping finger.

She flinched at the cold moisture and suddenly noticed something. “You're soaked!” She cried, scrambling up to get towels.

“Hey, don't bother.”

She turned sharply at his statement, and slipped on a puddle, falling back on top of him.

“Oof.” He muffled a groan and smiled at her. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She whispered, not moving.

Something clicked in her brain, and she stood up like she had been burned by his touch. He grinned.

“Don't bother getting towels. I'm only planning on getting more wet.” He explained, standing as well.

“What?”

“Dance with me.”

She stared at him. “Rewind. Pause. Play. What?”

“Dance with me.” He repeated, his voice going lower.

“There's no music...” She stammered as he took a step closer.

“We wouldn't be able to hear it from outside.” He murmured, taking her hands in his and walking over to the door.

“Whoa, we can't go out there!” She cried staring at the rain, not moving her hands from his larger ones.

“Yes we can. Now, I'm going to climb down. You can climb down too, or you can jump, and hope I catch you.” He said seriously.

She stared at him, debating his sanity.
“Okay.” She whispered, and followed him as he slipped down below her view. A light thump was heard, where she presumed he had landed safely.

“Are you climbing down? Or do you want me to catch you?” He called up, his voice echoing slightly in the dark silence of the night.

“I'll jump.” She decided, staring down at him.

“Alright.” His voice was confident, but she could hear the traces of relief. He was worried that she wouldn't do this for him.

Slowly, she lifted a leg over her balcony, then the other. Clutching the banister behind her, she stared down in horror.

“Just jump, I swear I'll catch you!” He whispered, holding up his arms.

“I can't do this!” She cried, looking away.

“I'm right here.” He reassured her, and his soothing tone was the thing that pulled her forward.

Taking a deep breath, She let go of the wood, and stepped off, falling into his waiting arms practically bridal style.

He set her rightfully on her feet, grinning at her. “That wasn't so bad, was it?”

Shaking from the cold, she shook her head, smiling.

“I'll ask again. Dance with me?” He pulled her close, as if sharing their body heat, and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

“Okay.” She whispered, mimicking his gesture, except around his shoulders.

Slowly, they began to dance, to the music only they could hear, the steady beat coming from their pounding hearts.

Gazing up at him, she, breathlessly, asked “Why did you ask me to dance?”

He looked down at her fondly. “Because 4 months ago you said the most romantic thing would be a slow dance in the rain. And I listened.”

She stared up at him. “Wait...are you saying that...”

He silenced her, a finger on her lips gently. “We'll talk later.” He said, his voice husky as she pulled him closer, clutching his body to hers.

Nodding against his chest, she clung to him as the rain increased around them; the teenagers still dancing.

She woke with a start. Glancing around, she rose, and walked over to her balcony where the rain hit roughly.

“It was all a dream?” She whispered, pressing a palm to the frosted glass.

Shuddering, she opened the door and stepped out into the pounding rain. Looking down, she saw him standing there, looking back up at her.

“Dance with me.” She murmured, spreading her hands on the banister, staring down at him.

“What?” It was his turn to question her mental stability. She couldn't be serious, could she?

“Dance with me.” She repeated herself calmly, grinning. He began to climb up the balcony, hopping over and landing at her feet.

“We'll get soaked out here.” He stated, not noticing they both already were.

She, grinning, gestured down at her denim shorts, shades darker, and her white tank top now plastered to her frame. “A little late for that, isn't it?”

He nodded. “Alright.” Taking her in his arms, holding her close to him as they revolved slowly on the spot.

Resting her head on his shoulder as the rain poured down over them, she whispered casually, “Dancing in the rain is so romantic.”

He nodded, heart pounding. She was chattering about something else. He couldn't listen, could not focus on anything but this moment.

He fingered a drenched curl, and with a sigh, held her tightly.

She was still talking, trying to banish that awkward moment where she mentioned romance.

“Did you know penguins huddle to share warmth? Kind of like us right now, huh?” She babbled nervously.

He stared down at her, feeling as though one of them was talking too much.

“Look at me.” He whispered, and as she looked up at him, he captured her mouth with his.

The rain increased noticeably, and as she pulled away in shock, mascara and eye liner slightly smudged, hair in wet ringlets, and pink bra showing through the almost translucent tank top; he thought she had never looked better.

Silence.

“I...” He began.

“Well-” She started, but both fell silent.

Another comfortable silence as the slow dance continued haphazardly.

“We kissed.” She whispered, touching her lips lightly.

“Yeah.” He glanced down at her, not sure if he should smile or not. He knew in his heart that he desperately wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to relive that moment for the rest of her life, and while he was worrying, she spoke.

“And it was good.”

He looked down at her, his smile radiating through the rain. Carefully, she stood on her toes to press her lips to his once more, before setting back on her heels with a satisfied smile.

“I was thinking...” She murmured, running her fingers through his hair. He met her gaze, a question playing on his lips.

“This is what heaven is like, isn't it?” She breathed, her voice filled with bliss.

He nodded and held her close, finally finding himself at peace.